Roberts Lions Club Member Orientation

Roberts Lions Club Member Orientation

Who Are the Lions? The Lions are men and women dedicated to serving those in need, whether in their own community or halfway around the world. In addition to humanitarian service they enjoy fellowship and develop leadership skills. Origin Lions began in the United States in 1917 when a group of independent clubs responded to an idea presented to them by a young Chicago insurance agent, Melvin Jones. He believed that local business clubs should expand their horizons from purely professional concerns to the betterment of their communities and the world, at large. This was heralded as a departure from the trend, current at the time, of forming clubs basically with a commercial motive - Jones own group was the Business Circle of Chicago. Melvin Jones The guiding force and founder, Melvin Jones was the first acting secretary of the association, thus beginning an affiliation with the Lions that only ended with his death. He served the association from 1917 until 1961. Melvin Jones was born on January 13, 1879 in Fort Thomas, Arizona and is buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois.

First Annual Convention The first annual convention was held in Dallas, Texas at the Adolphus Hotel, October 8-10, 1917. Thirty-six delegates representing 22 clubs from nine states participated approved the Lions Clubs designation and elected Dr. William P. Woods of Indiana as their first president. That first convention also began to define what the association was to become. A constitution and by-laws were adopted, the colors of purple and gold approved and a start made on the Objects and Code of Ethics. Name The official name of Lions is The International Association of Lions Clubs or simply Lions Clubs International. Emblem Description It consists of a gold letter L on a circular purple field. Bordering this is a circular gold area with two conventionalized lion profiles at either side facing away from the center. The words Lions appear at the top and International at the bottom. Symbolically the lions face both the past and future proud of the past and confident of the future. Mission Statement Developed at the 1997 International Convention in Philadelphia and included in the masthead of The Lion magazine beginning with the October 1997 issue.

To create and foster a spirit of understanding among all people for humanitarian needs by providing voluntary services through community involvement and international cooperation. Our Motto -- We Serve Our Slogan The Slogan: Liberty, Intelligence, Our Nations Safety The Colors: Purple and Gold To Lions, purple stands for loyalty to country, friends, one s self, and the integrity of mind and heart. It is the traditional color of strength, courage and tireless dedication to a cause. Gold symbolizes sincerity of purpose, liberality in judgment, purity in life and generosity in mind, heart and purse to those in need. The Basis of Membership Any person of legal majority, good moral character and good reputation in the community may be granted membership in a duly authorized Lions Club. Any member may invite potential members to a meeting. The Roberts Lions Board of Directors reviews all applications or suggestions for membership and acts on (approves or denies) applicants for membership in the club. International Constitution The Constitution of Lions Clubs International provides a structure around which the association functions and serves as a guide for the Standard Forum Constitution and By-Laws for clubs.

International Objects The Lions Clubs International Objects outline the aims and goals of the Lions organization. It is up to the individual clubs to use the general Objects for specific purposes. 1. To Create and foster a spirit of understanding among the peoples of the world. 2. To Promote the principles of good government and good citizenship. 3. To Take an active interest in the civic, cultural, social and moral welfare of the community. 4. To Unite the clubs in the bonds of friendship, good fellowship and mutual understanding. 5. To Provide a forum for the open discussion of all matters of public interest; provided, however, that partisan politics and sectarian religion shall not be debated by club members. 6. To Encourage service-minded people to serve their community without personal financial reward, and to encourage efficiency and promote high ethical standards in commerce, industry, professions, public works and private endeavors.

Lions Code of Ethics The Code if Ethics, which with only minor changes has stood the test of time since its adoption by the International Convention in 1918, is a guideline for the personal values that each Lion should exemplify. 1. To show my faith in the worthiness of my vocation by industrious application to the end that I may merit a reputation for quality of service. 2. To seek success and to demand all fair remuneration or profit as my just due, but to accept no profit or success at the price of my own self-respect lost because of unfair advantage taken or because of questionable acts on my part. 3. To remember that in building up my business it is not necessary to tear down another s: to be loyal to my clients or customers and true to myself. 4. Whenever a doubt arises as to the right or ethics of my position or action towards my fellow men, to resolve such doubt against myself. 5. To hold friendship as an end and not a means. To hold that true friendship exists not on account of the service performed by one to another, but that true friendship demands nothing but accepts service in the spirit in which it is given.

6. Always to bear in mind my obligations as a citizen to my nation, my state, and my community and to give them my unswerving loyalty in word, act, and deed. To give them freely of my time, labor and means. 7. To aid my fellow men by giving my sympathy to those in distress, my aid to the weak and my substance to the needy. 8. To be careful with my criticism and liberal with my praise: to build up and not destroy. International Fellowship and Understanding It may appear that the language barrier would make international understanding almost impossible. But international understanding and friendship (or fellowship) is a matter of spirit rather than language. Thousands of Lions Clubs throughout the world communicate with each other through activities that involve the clubs in creating and fostering a spirit of understanding among the peoples of the world. We Make a Difference As Lions, we are part of a great organization that provides service to those in need in our communities, countries and the world. Our local service consists of many projects/programs, which vary from supplying eye examinations and glasses for the less fortunate to providing community centers and parks that improve our local living.

We Make a Difference (Continued) On the state level, in Wisconsin, we provide funds and labor to help the vision and hearing impaired. We operate a Lions Camp near Rosholt, Wisconsin which has camping for vision impaired youth and adults, hearing impaired youth and adults, cognitively disabled youth and diabetic youth. We also support Camp Needlepoint, which provides camping for diabetic youth. We provide diabetic screening to alert people of this dreaded disease and recycle eyeglasses and hearing aids for distribution to those in need. We also support Youth Outreach programs to improve and raise the level of life for our greatest national resource, our youth. As an example, internationally, in the year 2000, we spent 42 million hours in service to mankind and raised $900 million dollars to support our various worldwide programs. We raised over $150 million dollars to eliminate preventable blindness during the association s first Sight First objective. A second Sight First program was initiated at the July 2005 International Convention in Hong Kong. These achievements are only accomplished through dedicated Lions committed to successful service. We do this in part by selling brats, flipping pancakes and burgers, serving spaghetti, running raffles and bowling tournaments, and many more projects too numerous to mention New members are a vital part in the success of Lions. We need the enthusiasm and new ideas that new members can provide this organization. More members allow us to better serve our community and meet the goals and objectives of Lionism. There is so much we can do, as Lions, working together. When WE SERVE, We Make a Difference, and we have FUN doing it.

Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) Is the Humanitarian arm of the International Association Is chaired by the Immediate Past International President Promotes the Melvin Jones Fellowship - $ 1,000 donation to LCIF Governs the Grant Process of financial aid for lions projects Distributes Emergency Grants to Club and Districts whenever disaster occurs International Lions Facts 1,374,673 members worldwide (December 2014) 210 countries or geographical areas with Lions Clubs 755 Districts 46,322 Lions Clubs 371,707 Melvin Jones Fellows Fiscal Year July 1 to June 30 International Convention - held in June or July at locations around the world International Magazine The Lion